Times have changed, so are people and the way they conduct their business. Earlier businesses used print ads, radio and TV ads to promote their business and drive their sales. Now businesses are also following a modern approach to increase their brand awareness i.e., Social media.
Social media platforms allow users to share a lot of information about their personal and professional life with their family or friends. One such platform that has gained popularity is Instagram. With Instagram, users can share pictures with the world. It has around 1 billion active users and more than 700 people use Instagram on a daily basis.
Stats show that around 25 million companies around the globe are promoting their business using Instagram. Instagram has clearly become a new home for brands as it has more engagement level, it also increases brand loyalty among your customers and will also take your brand into new territory.
Here’s how you must use Instagram to promote your business.
Create a Business Profile
First things first, create a business profile to post brand-appropriate content in your profile to increase your following. If you already have a personal profile from which you post content you can simply convert it into a business profile within a few steps, or you can create a business profile from scratch.
Business profile
Step1: Open the Instagram app in your browser and click on sign-up.
Step2: Log-in using your facebook if you already have a business profile on Facebook. If not then simply finish up the signing-up process by entering your email id.
Step3: Fill all basic information such as your username, password and other profile information.
Step4: Once you click on “DONE” your personal account is successfully created and now all you have to do is turn it into your business profile.
Step5: Log-in into your personal profile and click on the profile icon to go to your profile. Click on the three lines icon present at the top right of your profile.
Step6: Then tap on settings and click on Switch to Business Profile and then press continue. Add your basic information such as email address and mobile number.
Optimise your Profile
Created your step is a start to many things. You must add complete into information on your profile as it is what will attract followers to your profile. Update your profile name to your brand name. Change your profile picture to either your brand’s logo or name. But make sure that the image is clear and not blurry. Your customers may recognise your brand with your profile picture.
Then comes your companies bio. Don’t forget to add a bio as it is the only place, where you can convey information about your brand to your people who visit your profile. But the limitation here is you have to convey all this information in 150 characters.
Make sure your bio is without any grammar errors. It should clearly explain who you are and what you do in a single glance. You can also use hashtags in your bio to direct your audience towards your brand-related content. Add your website link in the bio to drive more traffic to your website, which in return may increase your sales.
Content is King
To attain brand visibility and followers you must generate quality content. Understand your audience and generate content that is interesting and useful for them. Put your ideas into great visuals as Instagram concentrates mainly on visuals. Sometimes images convey a message clear than a written message. Put some thought and write compelling captions to your Images.
Add images about your business, or day-to-day activities and if you’re a brand provides services then share your customer’s stories in both Instagram profile and stories. Decide on a constant theme for your brand and stick to it. Click images in natural light and take pictures from different angles and edit your pictures like a pro and be consistent in posting in your Instagram.
Engage and Grow
Social media platforms like Instagram are all about searching and interacting with a community that is relevant to your brand. You must find them and engage with them to understand their requirements to produce great content. One way to understand your audience is by following industry hashtags, following peers within your industry and engaging in conversations with your audience in the comments section.
Using the right hashtags in your posts is important as it will lead you to the audiences that are interested in your brand. There are many apps available now that can help you in discovering hashtags that fit your brand. You must also create a custom hashtag for your brand and use it in every post to get your customers accustomed to your brand.
Influencer Marketing
Engage with influencers in Instagram to build relationships and collaborate with them to create content. Influencer Marketing is an easy and powerful way to penetrate your brand into a loyal and engaging follower base of an influencer. You can promote your Instagram profile on your other social media platforms too. Your existing followers on other platforms may also start following your Instagram profile.
Instagram Ads
Investing in Instagram ads is definitely worthy. These ads have the capability of exposing your content to a wider audience, they can also drive organic results to your business. They include call-to-action buttons to allow users to take action straight from Instagram. Running an Instagram campaign can help you in reaching your goals quicker. It works efficiently with your overall Instagram marketing strategy. You can promote sales, drive engagement with contests. Your campaigns can include ads too.
Insights
One of the best use from the business profile is you can measure insights and make adjustments. You can promote your business and constantly check your progress. You can track engagement on your posts, stories and ads. There are many analytical tools available in the market that can make your job easy as a breeze. Try different things to understand your user behaviour and follow the method which helps you reach your goal.
Don’t mess around with your posting schedule. Maintain a regular posting time and you can even schedule your post to that particular time. Do the required research to find the ideal posting time. Focus mainly on your customers and the engagement you’re receiving on your posts. Insights show you when you’re targeted audience is an online daily basis.
Final Thoughts
Instagram can help businesses reach a new audience and increase their sales and drive more traffic to your website. It allows brands to find their voice and the community that fits their brand. You can increase your brand’s visibility and engagement by interacting with the audience. Not only engage, but you can also measure the engagement by using insights.
You can understand which posts are doing better and which are not. All this will help you in reaching a new audience and improving your business. Use creative captions to capture your audience attention and see that your profile captures and reflects the essence of your brand perfectly to your audience. All in all, using Instagram can take your business to new heights and reach audience globally.
